The book Paradise North was inspired by my days growing up along the Mississippi River in the Driftless Aea of Wisconsin to my journeys north into Canada and to a period of my life living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. ]The photographs were taken with everything from my first camera a Kodak Instamatic, to smart phones to various SLR cameras. ]The poetry and writings span from my days as a fifth grader until today, sometimes reflecting emotional periods of my life.